Featured Research

Key Mechanism In Brain Development Pinpointed, Raising Question About Use Of Antiseizure Drug

Date:

October 12, 2009

Source:

Stanford University Medical Center

Summary:

Researchers have identified a key molecular player in guiding the formation of synapses -- the all-important connections between nerve cells -- in the brain. This discovery, based on experiments in cell culture and in mice, could advance scientists' understanding of how young children's brains develop as well as point to new approaches toward countering brain disorders in adults.

Share This

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a key molecular player in guiding the formation of synapses — the all-important connections between nerve cells — in the brain. This discovery, based on experiments in cell culture and in mice, could advance scientists' understanding of how young children's brains develop as well as point to new approaches toward countering brain disorders in adults.

Related Articles

The new work also pinpoints, for the first time, the biochemical mechanism by which the widely prescribed drug gabapentin (also marketed under the trade name Neurontin) works. "We have solved the longstanding mystery of how this blockbuster drug acts," said Ben Barres, MD, PhD, professor and chair of neurobiology. The study shows that gabapentin halts the formation of new synapses, possibly explaining its therapeutic value in mitigating epileptic seizures and chronic pain. This insight, however, may lead physicians to reconsider the circumstances in which the drug should be prescribed to pregnant women.

The paper, to be published online Oct. 8 in the journal Cell, looks at the interaction between neurons — the extensively researched nerve cells that account for 10 percent of the cells in the brain — and the less-studied but much more common brain cells called astrocytes. Much work has been done on how neurons transmit electrical signals to each other through synapses — the nanoscale electrochemical contact points between neurons. It is the brain's circuitry of some 100 trillion of these synapses that allow us to think, feel, remember and move.

It is commonly agreed that the precise placement and strength of each person's trillions of synaptic connections closely maps with that person's cognitive, emotional and behavioral makeup. But exactly why a particular synapse is formed in a certain place at a certain time has largely remained a mystery. In 2005, Barres took a big step toward explaining this process when he and his colleagues discovered that a protein astrocytes secrete, called thrombospondin, is essential to the formation of this complex brain circuitry.

Still, no one knew the precise mechanism by which thrombospondin induced synapse formation.

In this new study, Barres, lead author Cagla Eroglu, PhD, and their colleagues demonstrate how thrombospondin binds to a receptor found on neurons' outer membranes. The role of this receptor, known as alpha2delta-1, had been obscure until now. But in an experiment with mice, the scientists found that neurons lacking alpha2delta-1 were unable to form synapses in response to thrombospondin stimulation.

And when the researchers grew neurons in a dish that were bioengineered to overexpress this receptor, those neurons produced twice as many synapses in response to stimulation with thrombospondin than did their ummodified counterparts.

The new discovery about alpha2delta-1's key role in synapse formation carries important implications for understanding the cause of pain and of epilepsy and developing improved medications for these conditions.

It was already known that alpha2delta-1 is the neuronal receptor for gabapentin, one of the world's most widely administered medications. Gabapentin is often prescribed for epilepsy and chronic pain, and its off-label use for other indications is widespread. Up to now, the molecular mechanism of gabapentin's action — what, exactly, it's doing to counter seizures or chronic pain — was unknown. But both syndromes may involve excessive numbers of synaptic connections in local areas of the brain.

In their new study, Barres and his colleagues found that when gabapentin was administered in developing mice, it bound to alpha2delta-1, preventing thrombospondin from binding to the receptor and, in turn, impeding synapse formation. Likewise, by blocking thrombosponin, gabapentin may reduce excess synapse formation in vulnerable areas of the human brain.

Barres noted that he and his colleagues found that gabapentin does not dissolve pre-existing synapses, but only prevents formation of new ones. That greatly diminishes gabapentin's potential danger to adults. In mature human brains, astrocytes ordinarily produce very little thrombospondin, and adult neurons don't form many new synapses, although some new synapses do continue to be formed throughout life — for example, in a part of the brain where new memories are laid down and at sites of injury to neurons, such as occurs after a stroke.

But the new findings raise questions about gabapentin's effect in situations where synapse formation is widespread and crucial, most notably in pregnancies. The vast bulk of the brain's synapses are formed during gestation and the very early months and years after birth. Because gabapentin easily crosses the placental barrier, it could potentially interfere with a fetus' rapidly developing brain just when global synapse formation is proceeding at breakneck speed.

"It's a bit scary that a drug that can so powerfully block synapse formation is being used in pregnant women," Barres said. "This potential effect on fetal brains needs to be taken seriously. Right now, doctors have the view that gabapentin is the safest anticonvulsant. There is no question that pregnant women with epilepsy who have been advised by their neurologists to continue their anticonvulsant treatment with gabapentin during their pregnancy should definitely remain on this drug until instructed otherwise. But there is no long-term registry being kept to track gabapentin-exposed babies. Our findings are saying that we need to be following up on these newborns so that their cognitive performance can be studied as they grow older."

Eroglu, then a postdoctoral researcher in Barres' laboratory, is now an assistant professor of cell biology at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Other Stanford co-authors were Nicola Allen, PhD; Michael Susman; Nancy O'Rourke, PhD; Chan Young Park, PhD; Engin Ozkan, PhD; Chandrani Chakraborty; Sara Mulinyawe; Andrew Huberman; PhD; Eric Green, MD, PhD; Ricardo Dolmetsch, PhD; Christopher Garcia, PhD; and Stephen Smith, PhD. Funding was provided by the National Institute of Drug Addiction; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; the National Institutes of Health; the Human Frontiers Scientific Program and a Helen Hay Whitney postdoctoral fellowship.

Stanford University Medical Center. "Key Mechanism In Brain Development Pinpointed, Raising Question About Use Of Antiseizure Drug." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 October 2009. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008123226.htm>.

Stanford University Medical Center. (2009, October 12). Key Mechanism In Brain Development Pinpointed, Raising Question About Use Of Antiseizure Drug. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 31, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008123226.htm

Stanford University Medical Center. "Key Mechanism In Brain Development Pinpointed, Raising Question About Use Of Antiseizure Drug." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008123226.htm (accessed March 31, 2015).

Featured Research

Mar. 31, 2015  Researchers have illuminated an important distinction between mice and humans: how human livers heal. The difference centers on a protein called PPAR alpha which activates liver ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Researchers have recorded the first direct observations of the micro-scale mechanisms behind the ability of skin to resist tearing. The results could be applied to the improvement of artificial skin, ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Fewer than half of the physicians trained in the United States in 2013 received formal education or training on the subject of exercise, according to new research. "There are immense medical benefits ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Memory and as well as connections between brain cells were restored in mice with a model of Alzheimer's given an experimental cancer drug, researchers report. "With this treatment, cells under ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Increasing state alcohol taxes could prevent thousands of deaths a year from car crashes, say researchers, who found alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes decreased after taxes on beer, wine and ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Alcoholism takes a toll on every aspect of a person's life, including skin problems. Now, a new research report helps explain why this happens and what might be done to address it. "The clinical ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  A new population of 'memory' immune cells has been discovered by scientists, throwing light on what the body does when it sees a microbe for the second time. This insight, and others like it, will ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Coronary heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the United States, are diseases associated with heightened platelet reactivity. A new study in humans suggests an underlying ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  A new study had researchers seeking answers to why the therapeutic benefit afforded by SSRIs was so limited in children and teenagers. If researchers can uncover the biological mechanisms preventing ... full story

Featured Videos

Solitair Device Aims to Takes Guesswork out of Sun Safety

Reuters - Innovations Video Online (Mar. 31, 2015)  The Solitair device aims to take the confusion out of how much sunlight we should expose our skin to. Small enough to be worn as a tie or hair clip, it monitors the user&apos;s sun exposure by taking into account their skin pigment, location and schedule. Matthew Stock reports.
Video provided by Reuters

Soda, Salt and Sugar: The Next Generation of Taxes

Washington Post (Mar. 30, 2015)  Denisa Livingston, a health advocate for the Dinι Community Advocacy Alliance, and the Post&apos;s Abby Phillip discuss efforts around the country to make unhealthy food choices hurt your wallet as much as your waistline.
Video provided by Washington Post

S. Leone in New Anti-Ebola Lockdown

AFP (Mar. 28, 2015)  Sierra Leone imposed a three-day nationwide lockdown Friday for the second time in six months in a bid to prevent a resurgence of the deadly Ebola virus. Duration: 01:17
Video provided by AFP

Related Stories

July 11, 2014  The demonstration that astrocytes, the brain's most abundant cell type, participate in the formation of inhibitory synapses in the cortex suggests an important role for these cells in some ... full story

Sep. 20, 2013  When we’re born, our brains aren’t very organized, but as we grow and learn, things get a bit more stable. How and why does this happen -- and what happens when it doesn’t go normally? ... full story

Oct. 31, 2012  New research may revolutionize the biological understanding of some childhood psychiatric disorders. Scientists found that if the protein, SRGAP3, is malformed, it causes problems in brain ... full story

Sep. 21, 2012  Multiple synaptic contacts between nerve cells facilitate the creation of a new contact, as neuroscientists report. An integral mechanism of memory foundation is the formation of additional contacts ... full story

Apr. 26, 2012  They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Fortunately, this is not always true. Researchers have now discovered how the adult brain can adapt to new situations. Their study may be significant ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.